Daredevil & Elektra: Unto Love & Furor
by Assassin For Hire
Summary: A bit of a tearjerker. Elektra stalks after Matt, aiming to end his life. Does she have it in her? My first poetic meeting between the two, so... Please review? :)


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DAREDEVIL & ELEKTRA: UNTO LOVE & FUROR  
**written by kabanas**  
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**Hell's Kitchen. Midnight.**

Amidst the silence of the luxurious loft was the repetitious pounding of bone against gym bag. Matt Murdock stood in the darkness of his living room, kicking blow after blow onto the silently swaying target, the shins beneath his plain cotton sweatpants welting red. He was bare aside from that. He liked to keep things simple. So simple that he had maintained the same stance for half an hour, calmly toning his legs in the moonlit darkness. So simple that the lights in his apartment were never turned on unless there was company. Like now. He didn't need the lights. Matt Murdock, after all, was blind. A blind superhero.

Daredevil. Man Without Fear.

In an ironic twist of fate many years ago, Matt Murdock saved a blind man's life from a swerving truck, only to be splashed with radioactive waste that burned away his retinas. Then a burgeoning law student, Matt never let his handicap stop him. His passion for justice one day turned him into one of the city's most influential litigates. Now, he fought crime both in his day job and as a costumed avenger. But the complexities of his secret lifestyle affected Matt little. His loft was spartan. Simply decorated. Littered mostly with safety handles whose every location he had committed to memory. Even with heightened senses, Matt was still ordinary. He stumbled from time to time. Tonight was no different. He had thought tonight to be a peaceful evening. But as he quietly worked on taking out his loneliness against the gym bag, Matt suddenly heard the ruffle of silk entering his near vicinity and stopped, turning around. That sound was certainly worth paying attention to…..

She slipped through an open window, flawlessly silent. She knew he liked leaving his office airy even at night, when Hell's Kitchen grew chilly. Whatever she had in mind before she stepped into Matt Murdock's threshold, however, she quickly lost, for there was no other man who could stir Elektra's emotions quite like the one who stood before her can. He had the single ability to soften her reserve just by looking at her in that uncertain way of his--always knowing where she stood in front of him, but never being really sure if it was her. Does he remember her face? It had been years since Elektra thought it possible to feel anything for him again, but here she was, mere twenty feet away from the man she loved more than anyone else in the world. The man she still loved. Just one look at his figure and the stale memories of their relationship returned to the forefront of her mind. He looked so helpless, standing there like some lost child. A naïve, helpless, lost child. And that was why tonight was possibly one of the most difficult missions Elektra had ever embarked upon. How do you assassinate a lover?

"Hello, Matt."

If she had spoken any quieter, she would not have been heard, but with Daredevil's extra sharp sense of hearing, she was exposed with crystal clear clarity.

There was a pause in their introduction as though Matt's breath had caught in his throat. At the onset of that voice he felt pins stabbing his chest. He felt the shaking in his knees, heard the distinct drumming inside his bare four-pockets beating faster. Yet he remained unmoving. Submissively alert. Stupefied. One would think he should even take up arms, what with the most dangerous assassin in the global crime network standing so close to him… It took only her scent to identify her, but the surrealism of her syrupy voice was enough to shock the senses. Oh mercy, that voice...

Matt let the crooning of the night breeze sing an aria for them. He spoke no louder than she.

"Hi, sweetheart..."

The slinking sound of steel reverberated in the silence. A sai was drawn. One single 16" trident, pointed at him. The man in shadow had tried to step forward. Elektra's own heart pounded as noisily as the night, but her breathing slowly evened out to make it clear that right now, she was working. If only he had seen the teary gleam in her eyes just then, maybe he would have found the courage to proceed forward…

They entered more silence, arriving at an impasse. She watched him carefully, took in his entire figure from where she stood. Despite the darkness, he kept a well-defined silhouette--an unforgettable body, an unforgettable human being. But had she really forgotten him all these years? Even when she had seen him standing just like this, the night they parted four years ago? Wasn't it she who told him that he looked handsome under the moon? That night, and every night when they were together... He was the only man who ever made her cry simply by falling asleep on the same pillow beside her.

The moonlight on his face. _Can you feel that, Matt? Does it feel heavy over your eyes?_

"Don't be alarmed," she spoke silently, though somewhat threateningly. Elektra found she still had strength in her to be upfront. Her thoughts, however, remained in turmoil. She felt a chill breeze over her bare arms.

"Why don't you ever close your windows?"

Matt remained still, respecting the distance between them.

"I like it like that…" he sighed, feeling his shoulders tense against his own wishes. "It's less lonely at night, when I can hear just about every voice and footstep in the block…"

_Can I come forward, Elektra? Can I touch your face?_ But the trapped knight remained still. There was distance between them.

Elektra listened respectfully but remained apathetic. She was not the same woman he had known years ago. Not the same one who had gotten angry at the death of her father and ran away from his side. There was peace now in her mind, but never in her heart… And it was because that, perhaps, why Elektra's job had failed in turning her into a completely unfeeling individual. She was alone, just as he had been these past few years. The moon could still weaken her knees, just as it could his. And just like the man who taught her first how to feel and then how to love, there remained in Elektra a fundamentally good woman. The ronin fished a piece of paper from within the folds of her right thigh's silk ribbon and threw it at him. Matt felt the wind shift in his direction and caught the tiny ball.

Despite the loss of his sight, Daredevil could perceive and feel things in the darkness of his realm no mere human could. There were words on the paper. He felt where the ink rose imperceptibly higher than the paper fibers. He even recognized it as computer ink. From her printer, perhaps? Did she own such a thing? Did she have her own place? Did she live alone? With a new lover?

Matt raised his head to the ceiling, as though assessing what he felt beneath his fingertips. There, on his placid face, surfaced a frown. He began to read. The words on the page did not register. He read it again. And again. He suddenly realized he was reading his own death warrant. It read:

WANTED: Matt Murdock, D.A.

If interested, NL735, code sect. to respond

BOUNTY: negotiable

Hello Kitty. Up for the job?

The paper fell from Daredevil's hand onto the floor. His breathing followed. Elektra eyed him solemnly, raising her other sai higher and leveling it off with its twin. Her voice lost all nuances of frailty and she spoke loud enough to be heard.

"Do we understand each other, then? Do you know why I'm here?" 

Matt was beside himself. His mind quickly boiled over in rage at the dawning realization that she was not here according to her own device but because of the bounty looming over his head. He wasn't even concerned about who wanted him dead. Why did _they_ matter, when it was Elektra they had sent in for the job? Nonetheless, the man's flagging heart kept him rooted to the spot. Whatever ill wish Elektra had in her mind right now against him, he had a hard time denying the obvious to himself. He was still very much in love with her. Her company only made him miss her even more. He would not lie to himself. 

"I understand…" Matt replied, his jaw tightening in slight aggravation. How could one woman inspire him to tears as easily as she could affect his anger? 

Elektra had a lesson to learn tonight. It was not just she who had changed over the years. They had –both- matured and found their place in their world. If killing Matt Murdock tonight was her exact wish, she would have to know that such a task would not be an easy one...

At his command, Daredevil's muscles tensed even harder than before and the balls of his feet fixed his stance so he was now squarely facing her. He slowly exhaled every single thought from his mind and assumed a fighting stance. The man's face seemed wholly different in this new light. Calm. Unperturbed.

"So come on and do what you must--" Matt leveled his indefinite gaze at her valiantly. "--my love."

It was Elektra's turn to be put into a spin. She had expected some resistance from her former lover tonight, but to see him so utterly absent of hatred against her, to see him so noble even when facing Death… It made her understand why he really was called the Man Without Fear.

The sais in Elektra's hand suddenly weighed a ton. She let them drop. They made a royal noise against the floor, and marked the polished wood with two unsightly dents. She would not fight an unequal battle. Not when she knew her opponent was of honorable intention. A taxi beeped in the distance. Cop sirens from afar suddenly became more prominent, as though the city was coming to life.

Taking a moment, Elektra composed her concentration and bowed deeply to him, recalling the respect that remained between enemies in the ancient code. She bided her time. She advanced leisurely until he was close enough to touch. She didn't remember him this way. He wasn't this tall. He had broad shoulders now. A dignified profile. Though she saw his eyes frequently when she laid in bed with him, the gray scars that eerily gazed back at her now seemed more haunting somehow. And yet, she thought him dark and handsome as ever.

Elektra shot out her fist out with all her might. Daredevil slapped it away hard, blocking it mere inches from his face. And so the fight began.

Matt had the pre-emptive plan of fighting only a defensive battle, but as he found himself brusquely scuffling backwards away from her intensifying attacks, he was inspired to return her blows. They hit each other, violently. They danced homicidally against the sullen backdrop of the urban nightlife around them. They said nothing to each other, only casually exchanged laborious breaths as though in the middle of making love. They slipped into shadows, fell back against desks and furniture. Cut themselves on sharp corners and broken glass. Elektra hit him square in the jaw. Matt made her double over with a kick to her stomach. Despite their extensive training, they were both fighting a sloppy war. Both of them denied the other their full potential. Elektra found she was not as aggressive as she wanted to be. Matt missed on purpose. He thought he had the advantage, with his keener knowledge of his own home, but she proved that absurd idea null with her supreme resourcefulness. Ninjas, after all, were in their absolute element inside unfamiliar territory.

As Elektra flung her weight forward for a double punch, Daredevil locked his grip on her wrists and pulled her forward in an effort to kiss her. He failed. Elektra reeled her head back and wrestled away from his lips before they could do any serious damage. A hard kick was delivered to his sternum. She used his chest as a crawling board and completed a back flip, freeing herself. The urge within her to slap him grew strong. Still, it only inspired the Devil to pursue the Assassin. Elektra grew annoyed that their roles were suddenly reversed. Matt didn't care or noticed. At this moment, he thought her absolutely alluring. She was a raw mix of pure talent and cleverness. Matt knew Elektra never went down in a fight. He knew it would be soon before she found a way to turn the tables against him once more. She would be merciless. She would cheat if she had to. She had even cheated impossible death at the hands of their archenemy. When Elektra began a fight, she fought to win. 

Daredevil advanced with every known tactic in his book. The display between them slowly turned into a showy battle of gutsy street-fighting and the calculating finesse of the ninjutsu discipline.

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, Elektra was handed a lethal blow.

She had let her guard down for a fraction of an instant and the ghostly imprint of Matt's lips found itself plastered against her cheek, now burning crimson red at the offense. Daredevil was sent flying back onto the floor with a brutal roundhouse. He struggled to sit up and spat blood onto the floor. The only sounds he could hear now were the thundering pulses of their struggling hearts, still roiling in violence from the angry feud. He could not have ached for the woman more at that instant.

"What are you going to do, Elektra? Kill me with your bare hands?"

Most of his breath had left him, leaving Matt with staccato speech. He remembered falling onto something when he hit the floor. Her sais. Blindly feeling for them with his feet, he proceeded to kick them in her direction, one by one.

"You'll want those," Matt silently heaved. "But for Gods sake, do me a favor... Let me up on my feet first before you get on with the job."

Elektra hovered over him, saying nothing. She watched him struggle to right himself in vain. The sight moved her to solemn sentiment. Was she more angry or heartbroken for coming here? More importantly, at whom? The only person she hated at this moment was her herself. If only Matt could see the tears that suddenly began streaming down her face just then...

Picking up her sais, the disheveled beauty sauntered over to her old lover's side and lightly sat upon his chest. There was a heavy ringing in Matt's ear as Elektra drove the unusually pointed tips of her weapons into the floor. They barely graced his ears. But Matt didn't care. With her weight feeling so familiar and comforting, he didn't care. Matt felt wisps of the assassin's hair blanketing his face. The sensation surprised him. She was leaning down to kiss him, he realized.

Only, Elektra remained hovering there, struggling to keep her weakened body afloat on the columned sais that stood framing his face... She fought to keep her face still, but they continued to convulse with pain and regret. It had long been since she's kissed anyone. Her heart missed him. The tragedy of their situation was unbearable, the nearness of his breath almost agonizing, and yet she could not bring herself to do anything about it...

It was then that Matt realized Elektra was sobbing uncontrollably. He would remedy that. Under the sleepy watch of the pale moon, he snuck his hands over her shoulders and lightly pressed her towards him. He tasted the salt of her tears and where they had glazed her lips. Their faces touched. Her tears felt heavy over his disfigured eyes. They entered a silent conversation of the sort that only lovers speak, through serenading tongues and shallow breath. Between them, peace was restored in an achingly unhurried fashion. For tonight, only two things mattered. Matt Murdock was thankful to be spared his life and Elektra was relieved to have hers returned....

**Disclaimer:** These two are copyright Marvel. Hope the shifting perspectives weren't too distracting. This, like most of my pieces, were written online for roleplay then edited for posting here. Please comment on this story so my muse can thrive on your reviews and write more DD & El stories. Thank you.

To be continued? Hmm...


End file.
